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What the elf prince whispered
to his ivy vine bride
when the last ancient glacier
gleamed blue in twilight gloom

What the fire-haired youth
and his raven-haired match
swore to each other
beneath the twisted cypress

That secret the wind kept
from the surface of the sea
as they wrestled a dance older
than the shape of human bone

   roaring, breaking
   murmuring, flattening

That word I dreamed
that lost, stardust word
glowing black

   not mine
      not yours
         not ours



Gabriel Ertsgaard is interviews editor for The Peace Chronicle and copy editor for the literary journal Drifting Sands. A former university English lecturer, he earned his Doctor of Letters from Drew University with a dissertation on environmental themes in a medieval legend. His poetry, criticism, and fairy tales have appeared in numerous publications.
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18 Nov 2024

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